Soup Love

One of the first things I loved about my husband was his love of soup. Not a lot of guys are that into soup, but this one loves just about any food in liquid form. When we were just acquaintances he served a cold chipotle tomato soup at a dinner party.  It was a very bold move. While most people polity stirred it around and choked back a few insanely spicy spoonfuls, I ate it up, stars in my eyes.

Now that we're married, we make soup together a lot. We both just can't get enough of the wonderful feeling of a piping hot, flavorful, nutrient-packed broth making its way down our insides and warming us through. The healthy-conscious side of me loves how many veggies you can pack into one dish - and how many bowls you can eat without feeling guilty. I still prefer chunkier stew types and he favors silky purees but we've both leaned to appreciate the spectrum. A perk of our union was inheriting his immersion blender, which has opened up a whole new world of soupy goodness.

These days Dave's repertoire has expanded and he's learned to be a little less heavy-handed with the spices, but he still has a weakness for one store-bought soup. His favorite soup chain, Hale and Hearty Soup used to make a wonderful Tomato Cheddar and whenever we're back in New York he wistfully scours the sandwich boards of every outpost we pass, hoping his beloved will be the soup of the day. It's been a while, however, since we've actually had a sighting, and I'm starting to think they may have discontinued it entirely. So I decided to learn to make it for him. 

Re-creating a tomato soup wasn't much of a challenge, and after searching a few copycat recipes on the internet I concluded that with the right mix of cream and cheese he'd be over the moon. I had been saving some old Gouda rinds for a moment like this, and after sawing off the waxy parts I threw them into the broth. Half an hour later I had some tough, cheesy bits floating around but an incredibly richly flavored broth.

And instead of keeping this recipe a surprise, I decided to involve the connoisseur himself. I wanted to use as little cheese as possible (both to keep it somewhat healthy and for my own enzyme deficiencies), so I stirred in small chunks of cheddar bit by bit, soliciting expert opinion along the way. After a few rounds, he pronounced it almost perfect. I seasoned it with salt, and he was in love.

Tomato Cheddar Soup

Inspired by Hale and Hearty Soup

1 onion, diced

2 cloves garlic, minced

Several stalks of celery, diced

2 cups chicken or vegetable broth (I used Better than Bullion)

1 28-oz can diced or crushed tomatoes

1-2 tsp dried thyme

cheese rinds - gouda, parmesan, or other aged cheese *be sure to remove wax before melting!

1/2 cup half-and-half or cream

6-8 oz cubed cheddar, or more to taste

Salt, to taste

Saute the onion, garlic and celery until onions are translucent. Add the broth and tomatoes and bring to a boil. Add thyme and cheese rinds and let simmer 30 minutes to 1 hour, until tomatoes are falling apart and cheese rinds are moist and spongy (see picture above). Remove cheese rinds and puree with an immersion blender (or cool and pour into standing blender). Add cream or half-and-half, and stir in cheddar bits until desired taste is achieved. Be sure to salt along the way as you will probably get to the right flavor with less cheese needed.

Enjoy with a nice slice of toast and your valentine.